Humidifying apparatus

ABSTRACT

Humidifying apparatus for use in connection with a hot-water system such as a baseboard radiator system, characterized in that the means for supplying hot water to the hot water demand (i.e., load) includes a series-connected conduit section that extends longitudinally completely through an open-topped humidifying trough adjacent the bottom wall thereof. Means are provided for supplying liquid to a given level in the trough above the conduit section, and evaporator means supported by the sidewalls of the trough are partially submerged in the liquid, whereby the heat of the fluid supplied to the hot-water demand via the conduit section is used to heat the liquid in the trough for vaporization by said evaporator means. In accordance with one modification of the invention, the hot water demand comprises a first baseboard radiator element and the trough is arranged in heat exchange relationship vertically above an additional baseboard radiator element connected in parallel with the first radiator element, whereby the heat of convection of the additional radiator element assists in heating the liquid in the humidifier trough.

United States Patent Seattle, Wash. 98737 1211 AppLNo 861,243 221 Filed Sept.26,1969

[45] Patented Aug. 10,1971

(54] HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

52 u.s.c1 237/78 511 1111.01 1-"24t 3/14 1501 Field ofSearch 237/78 A, 78 B, 73 C [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,125,120 1/1915 Kitzvow 237/78 B 2,031,220 2/1936 Lehn 237/78 A 2,054,705 9/1936 Mears.... 237/78 A 3,129,268 4/1964 Evett 237/78 X Bit 3 4 Primary Examiner-Edward J. Michael Attorney-Lawrence E. Laubscher ABSTRACT: Humidifying apparatus for use in connection with a hot-water system such as a baseboard radiator system, characterized in that the means for supplying hot water to the hot water demand (i.e., load) includes a series-connected con duit section that extends longitudinally completely through an open-topped humidifying trough adjacent the bottom wall thereof. Means are provided for supplying liquid to a given level in the trough above the conduit section, and evaporator means supported by the sidewalls of the trough are partially submerged in the liquid, whereby the heat of the fluid supplied to the hot-water demand via the conduit section is used to heat the liquid in the trough for vaporization by said evaporator means. In accordance with one modification of the invention, the hot water demand comprises a first baseboard radiator element and the trough is arranged in heat exchange relationship vertically above an additional baseboard radiator element connected in parallel with the first radiator element, whereby the heat of convection ot' the additional radiator element assists in heating the liquid in the humidifier trough.

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SHEET 1 BF 2 Mb 32 24 2e 28 HOT WATER SOURCE INVENTOR. Robert FLau/fenburger BY Edmund H. waszkle w/cz A T TORNE' Y PATENIED AUG I 0 I971 SHEET 2 UF 2 INVENTOR. Robert FLauffenburger Edmund H. Wasz/r/ew/cz A T TOR/VEY HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS As evidenced by the U.S. Patents to Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,305 and Neuber U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,882, various proposals have been presented in the prior art for combining float-controlled humidifying devices with baseboard hot-water radiator units. In these prior devices, the humidifier trough has been arranged in heat exchange relationship directly above the baseboard radiator unit, whereby an assembly having a somewhat undesirably large vertical dimension is produced. Furthermore, since the trough is heated solely by the convection heat rising from the fin plates of the heater unit arranged thcrcbeneath, an appreciable temperature differential is normally established between the liquid in the trough and the liquid in the radiator, especially in cold weather. In order to reduce the vertical dimensions of the combined baseboard hot-water heating apparatus and to achieve a compact, efficient, relatively inexpensive construction, the present invention was developed.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved humidifying apparatus including a horizontal trough through which a hot-water conduit section longitudinally extends for supplying hot water to a hot-water demand, such as a baseboard radiator element. Means connected with the supply end of the conduit section are provided for supplying liquid to a given level in the trough above the conduit section, whereby the water in the trough is directly and efficiently heated. Evaporator means are supported by the sidewalls of the trough and include a plurality of porous evaporator pads the lower ends of which are submerged beneath the liquid level.

According to a more specific object of the invention, the means for supplying water from the conduit section supply end to the trough include, in series, humidistat-controlled solenoid valve means, and level-responsive float valve means for maintaining the level of the liquid in the trough at a given valve.

According to another object of the invention, the bottom wall of the trough contains a drain opening, a vertical overflow pipe being provided that is removably connected at its lower end with the drain opening, said overflow pipe having an inlet at its upper end that is arranged above the desired level of the liquid in the trough. Consequently, upon removal of the overflow pipe from the drain opening, the liquid is automatically drained to facilitate cleaning of the trough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a baseboard hot water heating system wherein the humidifier apparatus is connected in series between two sections of a single-fin hotwater baseboard radiator unit, thereby maintaining the vertical dimensions of the assemblage to a minimum. In accordance with a modification of the invention, the baseboard radiator element is of the double-fin type and includes a second conduit connected in parallel with the first conduit, said second conduit including a portion that is arranged beneath the humidifying apparatus so that the liquid in the trough is heated both directly by the hot-water conduit section submerged therein, and by convection by the second conduit portion arranged therebeneath.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I is a partially sectioned detailed elevation view of the hot-water baseboard radiator and humidifying system of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. I;

FIGS. 3, 4 and are sectional views taken along lines 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, respectively, of FIG. I; and

FIG. 6 is a detailed, partially sectioned elevational view ofa second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the humidifying apparatus 2 of the present invention includes a trough 4 having a bottom wall 6, a pair of sidewalls 8 and a pair of end walls 10. Extending longitudinally through the trough adjacent the bottom wall 6 is a hot-water conduit section 12 the outlet end of which is coupled with a first section 14a of a conventional single-fin baseboard radiator element 14 and the supply end of which is connected with a hot-water source 16 via a second section 14b of the radiator element.

In accordance with the present invention, means connected with the supply end of conduit section 12 are provided for supplying liquid to the trough to establish a liquid level therein that is above the hot-water conduit section 12, whereby the liquid in the trough is directly heated by the hot-water sup plied to the radiator element 14. More particularly water tapped off by the Tconnector 20 is supplied to the trough via manual shutoff valve 22, solenoid valve 24, and float-controlled valve means 26 operable by float 28. The float 28 is operable to close valve means 26 when the level of the liquid in the trough equals a selected height above the conduit section 12.

Supported by the sidewalls 8 of the trough is a wire frame 32 from which are suspended a plurality of longitudinally spaced evaporator pads 34 the lower ends of which extend beneath the surface of the liquid 36 contained in trough 4 as shown in FIG. 5. The evaporator pads are preferably chemically impregnated felt wicking plates similar to those manufactured by Albany Felt Co. of Albany, N. Y.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention, the bottom wall 6 of the trough contains a drain opening that communicates with the upper end of drain pipe 40. Removably connected (for example, by screw threaded means) as its lower end with the trough drain opening is a vertical overflow pipe 42 the upper end of which has an inlet adjacent the desired level of the liquid in the trough. Upon manual removal of the overflow pipe, the liquid is automatically drained via drain pipe 40 to permit cleaning of the trough. I 7

Conventional humidistat means 44 (such as the Research Products Corporation humidistat MJCICI No. 41224, or the Honeywell humidistat Model No. H-46) serve to regulate solenoid valve 24 to maintain a desired humidity value.

OPERATION In operation, water supplied from the hot-water source 16 to the hot-water load (i.e., the baseboard radiator sections 14a, 14b) flows through conduit section 12 to directly heat the water 36 contained therein. The heated water is absorbed by the evaporator plates 34 and is evaporated by the convection air to increase the humidity of the ambient Atmosphere. In the event that the liquid level falls as a result of continued evaporation, float 28 falls to open valve means 26, whereupon additional liquid is supplied to the trough to return the liquid level to the selected value.

In accordance with the double-fin radiator embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6, an additional baseboard radiator section is connected in parallel with and arranged beneath the series branch containing first radiator section 114a, humidifier apparatus 102, and second radiator section 114b, said radiator section I50 being arranged to assist both in heating by convection the fluid in trough I04 and in evaporating the fluid contained in the partially submerged evaporator members I34. As shown in FIG. 6, certain of the fins adjacent the radiator section 150 are common with the fins of radiator sections elements I I40 and 114k. The structure and operation of the manual, solenoid and float-operated valves I22, I24 and 126, the float I28, conduit I12 and overflow pipe 142 of FIG. 6 correspond with the similar elements of FIG. 1.

While in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have illustrated and described the preferred form and embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other variations may be made without deviating from the inventive concept.

What we claim is:

l. Humidifying apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow elongated open-topped horizontal trough having bottom, side and end walls defining a single longitudinal chamber;

a horizontal hot-water conduit section extending longitudinally completely through said trough chamber adjacent said bottom wall, said conduit section having supply and outlet ends extending through opposed openings contained in the end walls of said trough, respectively;

means for supplying water to a given level in said trough above said conduit section, including normally open valve means having an outlet arranged for discharge into one end of said trough;

an inlet connected with the supply end of said conduit section, and float operator means arranged in said one trough end for closing said valve means when the liquid level in said trough is above said given level, whereby the liquid in said trough is directly heated by the conduit section;

overflow means for removing liquid from the trough when the level thereof exceeds a given valve, said overflow means including a vertical overflow pipe arranged within the other end of said trough, said overflow pipe containing at its upper end an inlet adjacent said given level, said pipe being removably connected at its lower end with a drain opening contained in the bottom wall of said hot-water demand means connected with said hot-water conduit section, said hot-water demand means comprising sectional single-fin baseboard radiator means including a first section adapted for connection between a hot-water source and the supply end of said conduit section, and a second section connected with the outlet end of said conduit section.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and further including hot-water demand means connected with said hot-water conduit section, said hot-water demand means comprising double-fin baseboard radiator means including an external conduit section that is connected in parallel with said trough conduit section and extends beneath and immediately adjacent the bottom wall of said trough. 

1. Humidifying apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow elongated open-topped horizontal trough having bottom, side and end walls defining a single longitudinal chamber; a horizontal hot-water conduit section extending longitudinally completely through said trough chamber adjacent said bottom wall, said conduit section having supply and outlet ends extending through opposed openings contained in the end walls of said trough, respectively; means for supplying water to a given level in said trough above said conduit section, including normally open valve means having an outlet arranged for discharge into one end of said trough; an inlet connected with the supply end of said conduit section, and float operator means arranged in said one trough end for closing said valve means when the liquid level in said trough is above said given level, whereby the liquid in said trough is directly heated by the conduit section; overflow means for removing liquid from the trough when the level thereof exceeds a given valve, said overflow means including a vertical overflow pipe arranged within the other end of said trough, said overflow pipe containing at its upper end an inlet adjacent said given level, said pipe being removably connected at its lower end with a drain opening contained in the bottom wall of said trough; and evaporator means supported in said trough between said float operator means and said vertical overflow pipe in partially submerged relationship relative to said given liquid level, said evaporator means including a wirelike frame supported by the sidewalls of said trough, and a plurality of porous evaporator pads connected at their upper ends with said frame and extending at their lower ends below said given liquid level.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and further including hot-water demand means connected with said hot-water conduit section, said hot-water demand means comprising sectional single-fin baseboard radiator means including a first section adapted for connection between a hot-water source and the supply end of said conduit section, and a second section connected with the outlet end of said conduit section.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and further including hot-wateR demand means connected with said hot-water conduit section, said hot-water demand means comprising double-fin baseboard radiator means including an external conduit section that is connected in parallel with said trough conduit section and extends beneath and immediately adjacent the bottom wall of said trough. 